


Metallic Heart

by ThatScottishShipper



Category: Engelsforstrilogin | The Engelsfors Trilogy - Mats Strandberg & Sara Bergmark Elfgren
Genre: Background Linnea/Vanessa, Bathrooms, Don’t repost to another site, Elemental Magic, F/F, Fade Kiss, Fear of Unrequited Love, Fic Exchange, Happy Ending, High School, Late at Night, Missing Scene, Mutual Pining, Repression, Sassy Ida, Secret Crush, Side Story, Spirits, Trance - Freeform, Witches, Yuletide, energy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-18
Updated: 2020-12-18
Packaged: 2021-03-10 16:27:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,663
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28140129
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThatScottishShipper/pseuds/ThatScottishShipper
Summary: A cluster of negative energy is affecting the students in the school, so it’s up to Ida and Minoo to vanquish the presence (and come to terms with their own feelings in a school bathroom.)*Written for the Yuletide Exchange.*
Relationships: Ida Holmström/Minoo Falk Karimi
Comments: 5
Kudos: 9
Collections: Yuletide 2020





	Metallic Heart

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sulfate](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sulfate/gifts).



The school lights went out.

“Oh,  _ joy _ .”

Sarcasm dripped from Ida Holmstrom’s tone, her sky blue eyes almost rolling right back into her head. Resisting the urge to fidget nervously, Minoo regarded her fellow witch with a steady look, like  _ ‘okay, you made your point already.’ _

Who knew how many backhanded quips lay in store tonight?

“Let’s get moving,” Minoo urged, reaching out to feel her way down the corridor. The cold lockers greeted her fingertips, nearly giving her a fright.

Minoo then heard a sigh, and before she could spin around, ask  _ ‘what now?,’ _ a small ball of light faced her. With the illumination it provided, she realised that it emanated from Ida’s palm, playfully swirling around her finger.

“No need to thank me.” Ida’s smirk glowed in the darkness, giving off an almost villainess air. “I’m just full of surprises.”

_ ‘She really is,’  _ Minoo thought, trying to swallow down the weight of inadequacy she felt. It wasn't just around Ida, but the other witches too. They had their own strengths and abilities, growing accustomed to them with every passing day.

_ ‘So, why can’t I?’ _

Another harsh sigh drew her attention towards the nearest doors to the stairwell, and as expected, an impatient stare awaited, caressed by light.

“Run along, goody two shoes. We’ve not got all night…”

xxx

“So, why did you come anyway?” When she wasn’t struck with a barbed response, Minoo persisted. “You’re not exactly… leaping with joy at being here.”

Ida snorted, hardly surprised she still got bogged down with questions. “After hours? At school? Who would be?” She curled her lip, tossing her hair. “But you all hardly gave me a choice, did you? You all seem helpless without me this time around.”

_ ‘Her Metal powers…’  _ Minoo glanced at Ida, thinking about how she really couldn’t have gotten into the school without her. Busting in, with a touch to the electronic lock… her light leading the way… and her spiritual prophecy powers when they reached the top floor.

But of all the witches, why did it have to be Ida?

They entered the stairwell, slowly ascending to the floor rumoured to hold such mystery. Only Ida’s little ball of light illuminated the way, posed perfectly in the center of her hand.

That did not prevent Minoo slipping on a step, skinning her knee.

She hissed, clutching her grazed clothing, feeling woefully clumsy. As she propped her other leg, ready to pull herself back up, the steps around her became brighter. A hand held out to her, cool blue eyes regarding her.

“Don’t hold us back too much, ‘kay?”

Nearly lost in the brief moment of kindness, Minoo took her hand, allowing herself to be lifted to her feet. As she once more wondered  _ why Ida _ , she hoped the ball of light did not reveal her warm face.

xxx

“ _ Ugh _ , why is it always bathrooms?”

Heels clacked against the tiled floor, as Ida showered the toilets with a look of disgust.

Minoo raised her eyebrows curiously, narrowing her eyes to picture the cold dilapidated bathroom with cracked mirrors and vandalised cubicle walls. From declaration of crushes to bullying remarks, every inch of the place was covered with scribblings.

“You hang out in spooky bathrooms a lot?” Minoo questioned jokingly, daring a smirk.

Surprisingly, Ida shot a respectful smirk back. “ _ Cute _ . Let’s just get this over with, shall we? Not exactly the perfect date spot, is it?”

Minoo’s cheeks tinged with crimson, replaying Ida’s words inside her head.  _ Cute. Date _ . She darted her eyes towards the grubby tiled floor, trying to rationalise what she just heard.

_ ‘Come on, Minoo. Get a grip.’ _ She noticed the golden glow of Ida’s blonde hair in the darkness, like sunlight itself within the dank interior.  _ ‘It’s a joke. That’s her thing. There’s no way she’s being serious right now.’ _

Minoo watched as the surprisingly cautious Ida inched into the first cubicle, sensing for the rogue energies that had brought them there in the first place. The negative clouds of emotions lurking inside the school, seemingly infecting students and making them fall to despair.

And Linnea herself felt her heart weighed by a crushing loneliness when she hid out in the abandoned toilets.

_ ‘Thank goodness Vanessa is keeping her company,’ _ Minoo thought, still remembering Linnea’s trembling appearance.  _ ‘But I wonder what’s causing them? And…’ _

“ _ Ah! _ ”

A sudden gasp came from inside the cubicle. Minoo panicked, scrambling towards Ida’s location. When she looked inside, she found Ida, standing perfectly still. Inside a tight space, full of graffiti and bad memories, the witch of the Metal element stared into space, her wide blue eyes horrified by something Minoo could not comprehend.

“Ida?”

Unsteadily, Ida swayed towards the sound of Minoo’s voice, hearing the faint ring of worry among static pain. Everything drowned in the voices of people that once crouched inside the bathroom, hiding from the world outside.

Her fingers traced the walls, the mixture of red and black pen markings leaving messages of misery, then she spoke quietly.

_ “I love you…” _

A dagger plunged into Minoo’s heart, forcing her to cling to those haunting words. But something in Ida’s distant tone worried Minoo, who edged closer. “Ida? Love who?” Her voice softened, those dark eyes brimming with concern. “Ida?”

“ _ You _ .” Ida’s voice cracked, the souls of her eyes glowing in the darkness. She bit her lip, trying not to scream herself raw. “Can’t you hear them?”

Minoo shook her head. She knew that Ida sensed the world differently from the others, and it came from being a Metal witch. Without warning, the normally opinionated teenager often dissolved into a trance, lost in a world unbeknownst to their own. But very often, Ida came to, muttering about the inconvenience of it before returning to whatever she was doing.

The Ida that Minoo saw then, plunged into the darkness that had been terrifying unfortunate students, was very different, like a pretty teenager trapped in a horror movie.

“Hey, Ida.” Minoo reached out to her, a hand touching the other girl’s shoulder. “It’s alright. Listen to my voice, just focus on me. Okay?”

Breathing laboured, Ida somehow reached out, her manicured hand finding Minoo, and giving the other girl’s hand a tight squeeze. When their hands met, Minoo felt it too, a surge of memories and heartbreak.

Teenagers, from decades past to the present, some of which she recognised, curled in that claustrophobic bathroom, pouring their hearts out on it’s walls. Girls wrote the names of others into hearts, sealing their love onto a canvas of unrequited, excruciating heartache.

And suddenly, in a flash, the girls shared a familiar sight.  _ A teenage girl, drawing a pink heart, and the name Minoo. _

_ ‘...Me…? It’s… me…?’ _

“Stop…  _ please _ .”

Ida’s voice brought Minoo back, and she remembered what she had to do. She held her other hand towards the swirling miasma clouding the toilets, threatening to consume them.

Then, Minoo heard what Ida had been listening to since tapping into the lovesickness left behind by one-sided pining.

_ ‘I love him. _

_ She’s my whole world. _

_ Why won’t they love me back?’ _

Concentrating, Minoo reached deep into that negative energy, found a clutter of scared voices, and she sent her own aura towards it, trying to put the overwhelming presence at ease.

_ ‘Don’t be scared. _

_ It’s alright. _

_ Follow my voice.’ _

Slowly, the chattering cloud grew quieter and smaller until eventually, it vanished into a light puff of light. Once the presence disappeared completely, both Minoo and Ida fell to the floor, their energies vastly weakened.

Exhausted, Minoo panted, relieved she couldn’t sense anything more. Her ears buzzed, and the entire room seemed to spin around her. Once she opened her eyes, everything came back to her.

Ida faced the graffiti adorned wall, her face curtained off by long blonde hair. She crossed her arms over her knees, propped against her chest, as if creating a barrier to shut the entire world out.

Minoo did not have to read minds like Linnea to know what was on Ida Holmstrom’s after that.

_ A pink heart, and the name Minoo. _

_ Written by a girl with long blonde hair and hesitant blue eyes. _

Minoo nibbled her lip, her heart close to exploding.  _ ‘Ida… likes me? Out of everyone in school…  _

_ Me?’ _

Without warning, Ida sighed. “...And I thought Linnea was a nuisance, digging into people’s heads…” She brushed dust from her clothing, keeping her eyes from Minoo because how could she ever look at her again? “God, this is  _ so _ embarrassing… I can’t even...”

Shocked that Ida made no attempt to cover it up, Minoo wrangled her hands, then spoke. “You’ve got nothing to be embarrassed about, Ida.” She managed a shy smile. “Any girl would be happy to have your attention.”

An awkward smile touched Ida’s lips before she laughed lightly. She turned towards Minoo, her wet blue eyes twinkling appreciatively. “I know, right? At least  _ someone _ understands.”

Grateful that Ida could open up a little around her, Minoo took a deep breath, then did the same. “Actually… you’re not the only one.”

Ida cocked a fair eyebrow, only to be met with a flushed expression.

“Oh, my God,  _ seriously? _ ”

Minoo nodded, her curly black hair bouncing. “...Yep.”

“Like,  _ like _ me?”

“ _ Yes _ ,” Minoo hissed, part relieved and part mortified at  _ finally _ admitting it.

Ida snorted, then twirled a finger through her silky blonde locks. “Don’t blame you for being soft on me. Surprised I never saw you writing my name on the wall too.”

Minoo smirked. “Oh, I wrote it, just not on the wall.”

“Do tell.”

“Okay. It’s...” Minoo shifted closer, leaning in to whisper. “...Inside my pencil case.”

Ida blinked, surprised and strangely endeared given how close she kept the item to her at all times. She leaned close to Minoo, the faint scent of bubblegum lip gloss drifting towards the other girl.

And then, just before Ida’s confident kiss found Minoo, she whispered with surprising affection... “You really are a cute little nerd.”

**Author's Note:**

> Written for sulfate as part of Yuletide 2020, and I was EXCITED AS FUZZ to get the Engelsfor Trilogy. It’s one of my favourite book series, and getting the opportunity to write something made my year!
> 
> The prompt was for Ida x Minoo, which was a nice new experience and a totally interesting dynamic. I wrote this as a missing scene/side quest that the two girls go on together because only they can fulfil the mission (and gives them together time!)
> 
> I wanted to keep their sort of edged/antagonistic friendship style intact while showing they do have some capacity for development and that they have more tender feelings bubbling beneath the surface. This could also be set later when they’ve grown a bit closer (maybe an AU where Ida is okay?) I leave that up to the reader.
> 
> So, I kind of brushed away some of her more abrasive tendencies in favour of her being at a stage where she’s still sassy and teasing, but not at a point where she’s very rough towards the others. She’s at that growing stage.
> 
> The idea of unrequited, negative energy amassing into a pocket of the school felt like an interesting idea. As the resident medium, Ida is sensitive to it more, but also because she has her own feelings that she feels will never be returned, so she becomes more susceptible to the energy. And that Minoo blesses that negativity, helping it and Ida to accept it felt like a natural step in the story too.
> 
> And that she crushes HARD too, so she gets it.
> 
> Thank you very much for reading, and I hope you enjoyed. ❤️


End file.
